Cal Flyn at Five Books:
Every year, judges for the International Booker Prize search for the best works of fiction translated into English over the previous twelve months. We asked Anton Hur, the novelist, translator and 2025 judge, to talk us through the six-book shortlist—including five novels and this year’s winner, the first short story collection ever to triumph.
CF: Thank you for joining us to discuss the 2025 International Booker Prize shortlist: five novels and a short story collection. The judges for the International Booker must get an incredible sense of current fiction output all around the world. Were there any patterns or trends in the submissions that surprised you?
AH: Oh, yes. Lots. Beth [Orton] was the judge who had the best eye for this, but if I were to take a stab at it myself, the theme that stood out for me was the many ruminations of what it means to be human in our current era, as there is so much dehumanising going on in both the UK and around the world, with migrants dying in transit, multiple genocides, the environment collapsing, the ravages of Covid-19, and other global events that affect all of us.
And I must say that the least surprising thing was the plethora of fantastic translations by a plethora of fantastic translators.
More here.
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